Actor. He is best remembered for his recurring portrayal of the no-nonsense Sheriff Bill on the sitcom "The Rebel." Born Franklin Almstead, he was discovered by actor Cecil B. DeMille while partaking in a professional swordsman competition. Impressed by his dark good looks, chiseled physique, and booming voice, he took notice of his potential and arranged for him to begin a career in the film industry beginning with him appearing in a supporting role in "Hell Divers" (1931). From there, he would go on to flourish as a notable character actor appearing in over 105 features; often typecast as soldiers, sailors, blue-collared guys, bailiffs, deputies, guards, authority figures, sergeants, policemen, detectives, reporters, boyfriends, mechanics, soda jerks, athletes, jurors, politicians, lawyers, husbands, fathers, aristocrats, doormen, chauffeurs, waiters, retail clerks, businessmen, indigenous people, cowboys, sidekicks, foreigners, mailmen, doctors, gamblers, eccentrics, curmudgeons, neighbors, landlords, musicians, fathers, and husbands. He appeared in such feature films as "Blonde Venus" (1932), "College Rhythm" (1934), "Metropolitan" (1935), "The Garden of Allah" (1936), "Man-Proof" (1938), "Gone with the Wind" (1939), "North West Mounted Police" (1940), "Paris Calling" (1941), "Sleepy Time Gal" (1942), "Let's Face It" (1943), "The Story of Dr. Wassell" (1944), "Circumstantial Evidence" (1945), "Without Reservations" (1946), "Unconquered" (1947), "Hazard" (1948), "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" (1949), "Union Station" (1950), "The Company She Keeps" (1951), "At Sword's Point" (1952), "The War of the Worlds" (1953), "Flight to Tangier" (1954), "The Court Jester" (1955), "That Certain Feeling" (1956), "Beau James" (1957), "The Buccaneer" (1958), "Last Train from Gun Hill" (1959), "and "One-Eyed Jacks" (1961). On television, he became an even more familiar face appearing in various guest spots on such syndicated shows as "The Lone Ranger," "The Magnavox Theatre," "Highway Patrol," "Have Gun - Will Travel," and "Klondike." During his career, he was a member of the Screen Actors Guild, was supportive of the Motion Picture and Television Fund, had been a member of the Hollywood Republican Committee, was a regular parishioner of the Presbyterian church, presided as a chairman for his local charters of the American Red Cross and the Boy Scouts, was a professional fitness instructor, had been a theatrical instructor for the Pasadena Playhouse, and was a notable stuntman for several major studios. Upon his retirement in 1961, Alden, who never married nor had any children, spent the remainder of his life being involved in charitable and religious ventures, until his death.